Free Cities of the South
General In the area that lies between the Smothe, the Mote, Osebb, the Marches and the Southland lies an area with four independent cities. The cities are self-governing, but they have strong relations with each other. There are nation states all around them, and the challenges of the Mote near Katorba, so the free cities make sure that they keep good communication and trade with each other. Kaddrin and Léomar are the two main cities out on the Western Arm of the South in the region known as Lebben. Both cities are members of the Tcherna Council, which is a trading organization which includes most of the southern cities of Aden Shahn. Katorba, which is also a member of the Tcherna Council, also has strong relations with the Smothe, given many people in Katorba draw their ancestry from there. Sadav is a city that was created long ago, but never wished to be part of the large kingdom of Bavarin, nor the kingdom of the Southland. Sadav trades well with both, and with the members of the Tcherna Council, but is happy with its independence sitting in a open, moment in the cliffs along Cyrfrinach Bay. Recent History More on recent history of the Free Cities Government and Culture The people of the Free Cities have one thing in common - they don't want to be part of a large state, answering to some monarch. Each of the cities has their own ruling lord, but the manner in which a ruling lord has been selected differs between the cities. The cities of Sadav and Kaddrin have developed trade routes that go to more regions than the other two free cities, primarily because they are both directly on the South Seas. Although all four cities are quite seafaring, with prominent monuments to Manorn in each, Sadav and Kaddrin share more of the spirit of exploring the wide seas than the others. Free Cities of the South Katorba Katorba lies at the end of the Amyndd Cliffs, below the Amyndd Hills in the western part of the Tcherna Sea. There has been a small town here for millennia, but after the Smothe starting having problems with Crocia and Surrin, many people from the Smothe started to flood the gates of Katorba, looking for a place where they could feel they were still more Smothe than Aden Shahn. Since then, people from the Mote and Lebben have also come to Katorba, seeking the life around a single city, rather than a diverse nation. For that reason, the people of Katorba, although from different backgrounds, treat people from outside Katorba as foreigners, even if they have the same roots. The only exception to that are people who carry the strong accent from the Smothe (East or West). Family Coronar have been the ruling family since the city had its huge influx of people from the Smothe centuries ago. There have been inter-marriages with the Family Coronar and the Family Felayeshahm from Bontham in the Smothe, thereby keeping the ties to that region quite strong. Lord Coronar is strong and authoritative, holding a small court for the nobles that directly serve Katorba. Foreigner dignitaries are not allowed in the court, but they can make appointments with Lord Coronar. The Amyndd Hills directly around Katorba are relatively safe as are the plains to their west. Once in a while there will be bandits, and the rare raid from the Mote, and in those instances, Lord Coronar will post bounties to get rid of the troublemakers rather than handling it himself. Trade in Katorba is good. They are a member of the Tcherna Council and are assured trade with the other member cities because of it. They also trade with Leomar, Kaddrin, Sadav and across the plains to Bavarin, supplying much to Taitronen. There have been settlers leaving Katorba and the Smothe for Taitronen seeking a further independent life, but that is no matter to the Family Katorba or its merchants. Those settlers will need Katorba goods at some point. The artisans in Katorba are focused on supporting the merchant and agricultural industries in the area. Still, there are good craftsmen, with some who have good knowledge of items that could be used to fight or harness those beings from the spirit world - although you'll have to pay dearly for some of those items. The main temples in Katorba follow their brethren in the Smothe. Hermax has the largest temple, but the temples to Girkahd, Esada and Mardank are sizable as well. The spirit world psyche of the Smothe is present in Katorba, and instilled into any newcomer who decides to stay. Thopila is also worshiped broadly in Katorba, as the farming out in the Amser Plain is important to the city. Character Characteristics Humanoid Characteristics: Dark hair, Dark complexion, Light frame, Good Swimmers Humanoid Stats: ''+1 Int or +1 Cha, +1 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Con ''Languages: ''Goldar, Ang Thadesh (E), Balladda (D), Jadroar (½),Fang-Homar(O) Kaddrin and Léomar The Cyrfrinach Cliffs run all along the southern coast of the western Arm of the South, and out one of the few peaceful openings in the cliffs, lies the city of Kaddrin. On the norther coast of the Arm, in a break in the Lebben Cliffs, lies the city of Léomar . Although both Kaddrin and Léomar are independent, they share much in common, ethnically and in spirit. They are truly the only land trade partners each other has. There is a road from Katorba to Léomar, but that is used much more infrequently than the maritime trade to Kaddrin or Léomar. Even between Kaddrin and Léomar, there is a reasonable amount of maritime trade, but the road through the Amser Hills and Wood allows a fair number of less endowed folk to share their wares. The people of Lebben, both in Kaddrin and Léomar, are simple folk who have lived apart from other regions for a long time. They acknowledge other regions and are generally not xenophobic (at least not as much as can be found in Katorba). They do help other regions when in need, and they did contribute during the Great War in particular. That being said, most of the people of Lebben stay out on the Arm, living along the difficult coast and once in a while travelling between the two cities. The Families Dryfuss and Vainom are related somewhere in the past. The Lebben folk stay with those in the Lebben and both families are quite old in these parts. In both cities, the ruling families have ruled their cities for many centuries. Each city has its own court, although the Lebben nobles have representatives in both cities, including the ruling families. In Kaddrin, the court holds sessions where nobles can be heard for petitions once per week. In Léomar, the petitions to be heard are chosen by advisers to Lord Vainom and are heard in private. In both cities, when pirates or bandits are disrupting trade, bounties are issued by the ruling Lord, and the postings will show up in both cities even in those instances where the bounty truly only affects one of the cities. Trade goods are plentiful in both cities, given their connections to the Tcherna Council and general penchant for maritime trade. The artisans are focused on supporting both hunting and trade vocations. In Léomar, the hunting equipment is probably a bit higher quality with a stronger focus on stealthy gear as well. Although both cities gain their livelihood from trade, it has been known that their ports are generally open to most anyone, including suspected pirates; as long as these pirates aren't interfering with the trade of Lebben, that is. The worship found in the two cities differs slightly. Both cities have large temples to Hermax and Sapayo, as both cities' have significant populations dedicated to work blessed by those deities. Kaddrin is just a bit more seafaring and exploratory than Léomar. The shipping lines from Kaddrin go further out, and you'll find more people on distant shores that are originally from Kaddrin than Léomar. This accounts for the strong worship of Lasipa in Kaddrin, that is not found in Léomar, rather they have a temple to Kaelia, who keeps the people of Lebben content at home. In addition, Léomar has a slightly more numerous land-hunting population than Kaddrin. Both cities have significant fishing populations, but more hunters who venture out into the Amser Wood and Hills hail from Léomar. In fact, it is known that some of the most careful investigators hail from Léomar, their reputation for anonymous observation and listening be well-known in the southern reaches. Character Characteristics ''Humanoid Characteristics: Dark hair, Green Eyes, Olive Skin, Good Swimmers Humanoid Stats: +1 Str, +1 Int, +1 Dex, +1 Con Languages: ''Goldar, Ang Thadesh (E), Balladda (D), Jadroar (½),Fang-Homar(O) Sadav Sadav is a city sitting between regions on a peaceful break in the cliffs on Cyrfrinach Bay. It was founded millennia ago, and has slowly grown over the years, accepting new people who would rather just be part of an open city than a nation state. That being said, Sadav will come to the aid of its neighbors when asked, or when the threat is great enough. Sadav exists on trade and has warm trade relations with all of its neighbors. Sadav, like Kaddrin, is an open port, allowing ships of all nations or reputations to berth there, as long as they haven't raided a Sadav-based merchant in recent memory. Sadav is ruled by two lords (well, a lord and a lady). Every five years, the nobles who are closely aligned with Sadav choose two noble families to govern the city. The two lords will govern together, taking turns to hear petitions or handle various business. The two lords actually schedule who is in charge of what and when a year in advance so that there won't be any argument from the other lord should something come up in a lord's list of tasks that was unexpected. There isn't a court, per se, in Sadav, but lords and dignitaries can make an appointment with the lords - which lord you will get depends on the schedule. When trouble arises that affects Sadav, it is common, regardless of ruling lord, for the city to post bounties to handle the trouble. Trade is a major industry for Sadav. They have great maritime trade, but their trade overland is strong as well, since Banor is approximately 100 miles away and The Marches always needs more of something. Correspondingly, the shops in Sadav are quite good. Due to their widespread trade routes, they acquire goods from east and west, and from the north in the Mote. Craftsmen focus on seafaring and trade industries, but the quality is good for just about anything. Worship in Sadav is focused on Hermax, Lasipa and Thopila, embodying the spirit of those that work in and around Sadav. There are small temples to most other Children Gods and monuments to Manorn abound. Character Characteristics ''Humanoid Characteristics: Olive complexion, Dark Hair, Light Frame, Good Swimmers Humanoid Stats: +1 Str, +1 Int, +1 Dex, +1 Con ''Languages: ''Saris Isar, Mithe Isar (E), Shaken Nûn (D), Toarus (½), Gwr-Ffadwr (O)